Like-Minded Developing Countries

Like-Minded Developing Countries
Name	Like-Minded Developing Countries
Abbreviation	LMDC
Formation	2003
Type	International coalition
Region served	Global South

Like-Minded Developing Countries is a coalition of states from the Global South that coordinate positions on multilateral diplomacy, trade, climate, and development issues. The group emerged from negotiations within United Nations, World Trade Organization, and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change settings and often aligns with negotiating blocs such as the G77, BRICS, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Member delegations typically include representatives from capitals and missions to United Nations, World Trade Organization, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Group of 77, Non-Aligned Movement, and regional organizations.

Background and Origins

The coalition traces roots to bargaining dynamics at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Doha Round, and the Kyoto Protocol and developed through interactions among delegations from capitals such as Beijing, New Delhi, Brasília, Pretoria, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Cairo, and Jakarta. Early formation was influenced by diplomatic initiatives at summits like the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Rio+20 Conference, and meetings of the G77 and China. Foundational impulses drew on precedent coalitions including the Group of 77, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the African Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations where negotiators from delegations coordinated strategies for United Nations General Assembly votes and International Court of Justice-related advocacy.

Membership and Composition

Membership typically comprises states from regions represented by the African Union, the Arab League, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. States frequently associated with the coalition include delegations from China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Venezuela, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Angola, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, Sudan, Libya, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Panama, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and others depending on issue-specific coalitions. Observers and partner delegations can include representatives from United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and regional development banks such as the African Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Objectives and Policy Positions

The coalition advances negotiated positions on United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change targets, technology transfer under Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, development finance at the World Bank Group, and rules at the World Trade Organization. It advocates for equity in Paris Agreement implementation, differentiated responsibilities echoing the Kyoto Protocol framework, enhanced access to Green Climate Fund resources, and reform of voting shares at the International Monetary Fund. On trade, members coordinate during Doha Development Round negotiations, promote special and differential treatment reminiscent of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade-era provisions, and press for capacity-building via United Nations Conference on Trade and Development programs. The coalition also engages with security and governance dialogues at forums such as the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council to influence resolutions affecting sanctions, territorial disputes like those considered in the International Court of Justice, and resource governance in contexts similar to discussions about the South China Sea and Western Sahara.

Activities and Influence in International Forums

Delegations present joint statements and negotiating texts at plenaries of the United Nations General Assembly, Conference of the Parties, World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, and during sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. The group has coordinated voting blocs in elections for seats on the United Nations Security Council, influenced agenda-setting in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change dialogues, and lobbied for development financing at G20 meetings where members engage with actors like European Union leaders, United States officials, and heads of African Union states. It has hosted side events at forums including the Munich Security Conference and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summits, and submitted joint briefs to special procedures of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics argue the coalition sometimes masks heterogeneity among members—differences exemplified by contrast between delegations from China and Maldives or Brazil and Venezuela—leading to accusations of diluting commitments on issues like climate change and human rights. Observers from think tanks and civil society linked to institutions such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam International, and academic centers at Harvard University, Oxford University, Stanford University, and London School of Economics have highlighted tensions over transparency, accountability, and the use of bloc voting in bodies like the United Nations Security Council or World Trade Organization dispute settlement. Some governments and international jurists referencing precedents from the International Court of Justice and tribunal rulings have challenged joint positions when they intersect with obligations under treaties like the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Notable Agreements and Joint Statements

The coalition has issued joint statements and submission texts at major venues including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP meetings—such as submissions around COP15, COP21, and COP26—where it advocated differentiated commitments and finance pledges to instruments like the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund. It produced negotiation text proposals during the Doha Round and released coordinated positions ahead of G20 summits in Pittsburgh and Hamburg. The group endorsed collective language in declarations at the Rio+20 Conference and issued coordinated communiqués in response to resolutions from the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council addressing development financing, technology transfer, and trade remedies.

Category:International political organizations